The present invention relates to vehicle seating and, more particularly to a seat assembly useful in circumstances where the operator of the vehicle is desirably able to swivel in the operator seat to facilitate viewing behind or around the vehicle. The invention finds particularly advantageous application in seat assemblies that include a console associated with the operator's seat which houses various instruments useful in the operation of the vehicle.
It has been known for many years in the vehicle arts, and particularly in the field of agricultural and off the road construction equipment, to provide a console associated with the operator's seat which houses various vehicle instruments. Oftentimes these consoles are extensions of the right hand armrest and may include throttle, breaking and gear shift controls. Examples of such prior art armrest consoles are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,392,546; 5,566,778; 5,924,515 and 6,039,141. As vehicles have become more complex over time, the number of instruments or controls suitably positioned within the console has increased in number. As a result, the size of the console has increased.
Another seat assembly feature that has become increasingly important is the ability of the seat to swivel, giving the operator a better view of the vehicle's surroundings and particularly the area behind the vehicle. Therefore, it is now desirable to afford the operator the maximum amount of swivel possible.
The use of larger consoles has complicated the problem of increasing the swivel capabilities of the seat assembly (and particularly with respect to clockwise rotation of the seat which is most desired). Since the larger consoles effectively increase the “swing radius” of the seat assembly, the range of seat swivel is limited due to the console's contact with other stationary components of the vehicle cab.